英美文化之AmericanHistoryIII.docVIP

Chapter 17 American History III America in Post World War II (1945-1980s) I. The Origins of the Cold War When Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office in April 1945, Harry Truman, his vice president, became president. At that time, although the Second World War had not ended, disagreement and conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union emerged and became more and more intense. These conflicts arose basically from their separate concepts of postwar world order. The United States, greatly expanded and enhanced in its strength in W. W. II felt it had the power to establish American leadership in the world and open the world market to American goods and capital. So it wanted to break down the Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union, out of its own security concern and fear of capitalist encirclement, was determined to keep its hold on the Eastern European countries and to defend its sphere of influence at all costs. The goals of the two countries were contradictory, so they were bound to clash. When the Second World War finally ended in September 1945, the clash of interests of the two countries became clear. The Soviet Union put forward the theory that there could be no long-term peaceful coexistence between socialism and capitalism and the Soviet Union should rapidly build up its strength for the final struggle against capitalism, represented by the United States and Britain. The United States also tried to analyses Soviet intentions and work out its own policy. On February 22, 1946, George Kennan, a high-ranking official in the American embassy to Moscow, sent a long telegram to the State Department, analyzing Soviet intention and putting forward suggestions. He wrote in the telegram that the U.S. policy should be a long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies. Later the containment policy became the official policy towards